According to Fate
by MJ Huwaine
Summary: From the beginning, fate had wanted them to become the best they could be - no matter the obstacle. When the legendary Sannin are finally laid to rest, team 7 must rise to take their mentor's places and learn to function as a team once more. Pairing of SasuSaku, NaruHina and a few others
1. Prologue

He was dark, the other bright. She was caught in the middle of her split personalities. Together they were team seven, nearly unstoppable in every way.

Two were cursed, but at the same time blessed. The boys had different ways of coping with their challenges and changes; the girl, however, had her own changes to make and cope with.

The first was when Sasuke left - she had given him every part of her heart, given him everything a twelve-year-old girl could possibly give him and he left her alone. She had saved his life a few times - though he was unconscious when she did so and he would never remember - and he had tried to kill her and her friends. When he returned, there was nothing left to give; she ignored him.

It stumped both boys how she could ignore _the _Uchiha Sasuke. Sai found it comical how silent she was when the original trio was together to train with Kakashi. If Naruto spoke, she smiled and returned the light hearteded conversation. She met Sasuke with the opposite reaction, not saying a word to him directly. Somedays it seemed she wouldn't breathe around him, as if his scent would poison her being.

Sakura trained before and after her team practices by herself; the only time she would be found off the training grounds was when she was working or if she made time to hit the local clubs with her friends to share a drink and a dance. She had become every bit as rowdy as her mentor, Tsunade.

The trio was truly becoming what their fates had wished of them and more.

This is not where our story begins, however. Like every story, it starts at the very beginning.

**Authors note**

**So after doing some thinking, some reading and a small amount of researching, I finally came to a decision to sit and write some more fanfiction. And not just a fluffy one-shot, a legitamate story. I am now a High School graduate and aged 17, and am honestly not impressed with half the 5,000 section of the "Sasuke U. and Sakura H." section. **_**Especially **_**under the "M" tab. I don't believe Sasuke would just come back and automatically have feelings for Sakura. Not to mention, Sakura wouldn't just accept him with open arms. She's older, she understand what **_**real **_**love is. Not to mention, what about Naruto? The love triangle between him, Hinata and Sakura? Nobody takes it into account very often and it bothers me. So I'm here to solve that problem and a few more, including the Sannin's deaths.**

**This will follow the series timeline - to the best of my ability that is (let me remind you this started airing in America in 2008 and I haven't watched the series since 2010) - and will have a few OC's - just to help fill the holes where they are needed.**

**Enjoy. Please read and review.**

**~ MJ Huwaine**


	2. Beginning Chapters of Team 7

"Uzumaki Naruto," the blonde sat nervously. Age twelve, he sat in one of the multiple rows of chairs in class. Having passed the exam, he entered genin level and was now being sectioned off into three man teams - he now understood how cattle felt.

"Haruno Sakura," he jumped for joy at the mention of his crush's name. Looking over, he hoped he would be met with one of her gorgeous smiles, the same joy mirrored on her face; he was met with the opposite. Her head hung in shame, deflating his ego part way.

"Uchiha Sasuke." It was Naruto's turn to hand his head in shame. Sakura jumped up, cheering for her victory shortly before shoving a peace sign in Ino's face, her tongue poking out as if asking _You Jealous?_ And why shouldn't she shove it in the other girls faces? She was paired with the cutest kid in her class. All the girls would be jealous of her.

It was about then that Naruto hopped up from his chair, pointing a finger to the brooding boy on the opposite end of the table from him. "Wait just a minute!" he snapped, earning Iruka's attention. "Why does a great ninja like me have to be with..._him_?" his voice cracked on the last word.

Iruka threw his hands on his hips, leaning forward. "Sasuke is the best in the class, the top student!" Naruto only arched a brow. "You had the _worst_ grades in the class." Iruka continued explaining the point of the three-man team, but Naruto ignored him and tuned into Ino and Shikamaru's bantor behind him.

"Of course I wouldn't get it, I'm not a girl." he muttered to her. Ino commented about how he was jealous and about how terrible a quality like that was horrible.

"I'd hate to be on a team with you!" she finished finally. That was when team ten was listed with her being paired with not only Shikamaru, but Chouji as well. Naruto and Sakura snickered under their breath when Ino began screaming about being with "food boy". Shikamaru took the time to comment on how she had just finished telling him she would hate being his teammate. He was lucky she didn't slap him for that comment.

The teams were then dispersed to meet their sensei's outside. Team seven's Jounin companion, as fate would have it, was late, causing Naruto to pull a prank - Kakashi's first few words were "I hate you guys."  
Training, of course, began tomorrow for all - though Sakura was more focused on how she had almost shared a kiss with Sasuke and he didn't remember _any _of it...perhaps she had been daydreaming after all?

Team seven sat on a staircase a few blocks away from the academy. Kakashi Hatake, their sensei, asked each of them to introduce themselves and to share a goal or dream they had for their future. Naruto suggested he introduce himself first; all the information they got was his name...and that he had no future plans...and many _many_ hobbies - though they were never listed.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it!" it was something _everyone _had to know by this point in his life. He rambled on about ramen and random things that detailed making ramen and comparing the various types. Long story short, Naruto. Liked. Ramen. Simple as that.

"I'm Haruno Sakura!" she looked timid and frightened, but she was loud and obnoxious at times. "What I like is...well, _who_ I like is..." she blushed and snook a glance at Sasuke...who continued to sit in the same position he had in the classroom...brooding. She rambled on about nothing, not really telling them anything else about herself aside from her name and her crush. When asked about her dislikes, "Naruto..." the blonde made a face, whining slightly. Figures, his crush disliked him.

When the dark headed boy only sat there, his fingers intertwined together and in front of his mouth in silent thought. "I am Uchiha Sasuke..." he started, "I have many dislikes and no likes in particular." Sakura's face hardened slightly, all signs of her previous blush gone. "I have ambitions to restore my clan and...to kill a certain man..."

Awkward silence ensued that day. Kakashi cleared his throat before explaining their first excersize. He laughed when Naruto dumbfoundedly asked what _kind _of excersize they would be facing, he then proceeded to explain that only three squads would be chosen to remain at the genin level.

Naruto was doomed.

The trio met up in the early morning, long before the sun had risen past the montains. Hours passed before he finally showed his masked face; after being yelled at by two of his new students for being late, he gave a lame excuse shortly before chuckling. "You see, there was this black cat..."

They didn't buy it.

From his pocket he produced two bells. "Today's excersize..." he shook the strings, clanging the two musical objects together. "Will be to steal one of these bells from me." Sakura gave a funny look.

"Why are there only two..."

Kakashi pointed to the three logs. "If all of you fail, you will be tied to the logs. If two succeed, the one who fails will be tied to the log. So it can either be all of you...or one of you." he explained simply.

Everyone's stomach growled. _So that was the _real_ reason he had us skip breakfast_, Sasuke and Sakura thought simultaneously.

"Start when I say go." Naruto didn't listen. Hastily, he grabbed his kunai from his pocket and ran at his quickest pace toward his sensei. In the blink of an eye, Kakashi had Naruto's hand - still holding the kunai - tugged behind his head, his other hand gripped tightly in Naruto's obnoxiously yellow hair. "I didn't say go yet..."

Everyone situated themselves in ready position..._away_ from their sensei, hiding their presences in multiple mediums - Sasuke in a tree, Sakura under a bush. Naruto stood out in the open, ready to attack.

Each attack failed, up to the point where Kakashi unleashed the "Thousand Years of Death" on him, forcing the symbol of the Tiger to a place no man wanted any intrusion, throwing him into the river.

Sasuke's hand itched closer to the pouch fastened to his leg. Two shuriken flew from the river, surprising everyone. Kakashi caught them without lifting his eye from the _Makeout Paradise _book in his hand.

Naruto complained over his growling stomach before sending his shadow clones over to fight him - which ended with Naruto punching himself (hypothetically) in the face before all his clones fought one another anddisappeared.

It wasn't long before Naruto was caught in a booby trap - pay back for the eraser to the head, surely.

_He needs more training_. That was when Sasuke's weaponry flew from the tree, hitting multiple vitals. Kakashi hit the ground hard, disappearing into a cloud of smoke. Substitution Jutsu. He should have known better. Now he would have to take him head on - so be it.

Sakura, too, switched her position. Kakashi put her in a trance, causing her to pass out - just as most of his female students had in the past.

Sasuke's ears twitched, listening to both Sakura's scream in the distance and to the jingling of the bells tied to his sensei's belt. This was the moment he was waiting for - a battle using taijutsu and a few traps.

First kick almost landed, being caught in Kakashi's hand. Next came his punch, caught in Kakashi's free hand. _He only has two hands, time to strike!_ He kicked again with his free foot, only to be blocked by his forearm. _Now!_

He touched it! He _touched_ it! Kakashi flew back, dropping Sasuke quickly. "Horse! Tiger! Fire style: fireball jutsu!"

It wasn't long before Sasuke was pulled underground; sakura then found him and thought him to be beheaded. She fainted again. Sasuke's eye twitched. "What the hell...?"

Shortly before noon, Sakura's vision focused on Sasuke hovering over her. He cared enough for his teammate that he had made sure she hadn't hurt herself when she fell to the ground. She hugged him happily.

The alarm went off, signaling the end of the excersize. They had failed the main point of the test - or so they thought.

Naruto was tied to one of the poles. "You three have proven you don't need to go back to the academy." two cheered outwardly. Sasuke sat quietly. "You need to quit being ninja." all joy left their faces.

Sasuke attacked, facing the same outcome as before, being pinned beneath Kakashi-sensei in a matter of seconds. They were then explained the idea behind the word "teamwork". Sakura did have a point about internal discord - two bells for a three man team would only cause chaos, so why try? Though it was the entire point of the excersize; she had to give Kakashi some credit there. Their sensei than pointed out each of their flaws, causing them to flinch.

"Teamwork is important..." he muttered loudly. "without it, it can cause issues and perhaps even lead to death." Kakashi held a kunai to the Uchiha's throat, demanding Naruto's death or watch the other teammate die as an example.

Kakashi walked over to the stone, explaining about the many names of ninja being engraved on it. "I want mine on there too!" Naruto exclaimed.

"They're all names of ninja who were K.I.A." Kakashi sighed sadly to himself.

"That sounds so cool!" Naruto smiled widely to the point where his face could crack at any second.

"Naruto..." Sakura murmured. "K.I.A. means killed in action..." Many of her relatives were probably written there as well as Sasuke's, maybe even Naruto's family perhaps. There were thousands of names carved around it's hexagonal prism. Naruto's face fell.

"This is a memorial... Many of my friends' names are here..." He said it so simply, like it didn't bring up any memories of their horrid deaths or of the misery it caused him. Turning, he eyed each of them. "Sasuke and Sakura, you both are free to eat. Naruto is to starve. Neither or you are to feed him."

They ate quietly, only to be interrupted by Naruto's growling stomach. Sasuke grit his teeth, Kakashi's words replaying in his head. He _had _to feed him otherwise he would just get in the way - a team was only as strong as its weakest link.

"Here." he held up his bento.

After some thinking Sakura offered the rest of hers to the blonde boy - she only had a few bites, but who cared? She was technically on a diet any how, and she could always eat when she returned home later in the afternoon.

What she didn't expect was having to feed him, which infuriated her. But she did so any how.

Naruto only took one bite before a rather large explosion projected itself in front of the trio, Kakashi shoving his face into all of there's, yelling about how they broke the one rule he had given them. "You all know what's coming..." the team prepared for the worst. Backing away slightly, Kakashi said "you passed" nonchalantly, easing the storm he randomly created after a few handsigns and some banter about their previous lesson.

"WHAT?" it was written all over each of their faces. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask - though they couldn't see it.

Team seven was ready for it's first mission together.

Their first mission had been both great and terrible. The rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke had been set into motion at the bridge builders house - somehow Sakura didn't find it odd that it started with an eating contest. Each wanted to best the other, even off the battlefield.  
Sakura couldn't blame them tonight, however. They were facing a rather rowdy bunch of ninjas - the ranking of their mission had been faulty, full details hadn't been exploited when they should have been. So instead of an escort mission it was thrice as dangerous as it was predicted to be. By morning they would all set out: bridge builder, Kakashi sensei, and team seven. Purely for the sake of making sure the assassin didn't take out the bridge builder before they finished the entire monstrosity.

Zabuza was a large threat, the menace swordsman and his right hand man, Haku, was an even larger one. Naruto still sniggered randomly when he remembered the Haku was a man who looked like a girl.

Sakura was worried - inwardly, of course, because Sasuke would think her weak if showed outwardly. She had no taijutsu skills, and her ninjutsu was borderline terrible. The only thing she had going for her was her genjutsu, and even that wouldn't get her very far.

The sounds of choking brought her thoughts back to what was happening in front of her. Sasuke and Naruto both wretched on the floor; everyone laughed. Sakura lost what was left of her appetite. Strength be damned, she would do what she could, even if on an empty stomach.

Inari had taken off after dinner, as he usually had. Kakashi sighed, feeling the need to wander after him and talk to him.

"You know, Naruto doesn't have a family..." those words had chanaged his entire view on life - Naruto was just like him. No father, no father figure. And somehow, he was still able to remain happy, optomistic and friendly, rather than the obnoxious little _brat_ he had become after Kaiza's death.

Haku was stronger than they had thought. He had chakra to burn and the mindset to use it. His Demonic Ice Mirrors was the icing on the cake. Sasuke was trapped inside, trying to fight his way out, but everytime he got within inches of a space between mirrors, a wave of senbon would rain down upon him, sending him back to the center.

"If you both could work together," Kakashi began to mention to Naruto. Sakura smiled and nodded. It was the perfect plan.

"Yeah! If Naruto hits from the outside and Sasuke from the inside..." her words trailed off. Naruto was gone. Looking around, she found him.

"Psst! Sasuke!" Sasuke made a face at the blonde. "I snuck in here to save you!"

There was yelling, accusations that questioned Naruto and the existance of his brain. It was all stopped when Haku sent down more senbon needles, piercing multiple vitals, earning a few grunts and screams of pain from the pair of boys.

It wasn't long before Sasuke passed out from the pain. His last few whispered words making Naruto's anger toward the masked nin sky rocket. The Kyuubi unleashed its flaming red chakra into the boys body, once circular pupils gliding mercilessly into slits, teeth elongating into fangs. He let out a scream before running at the mirror to his right, his fist shattering the glass of ice, knocking Haku to the ground.

Kakashi took the chance to attack Zabuza with his pack of ninja dogs, the Chidori's lightning reaching a ridiculous power level. Sakura ran to Sasuke, attempting to wake him up and to protect his body if any harm came its way.

Naruto removed the mask from Haku's face, recognizing him instantly, memories of their meeting in the woods flooding his head. He relaxed slightly. "I'm sorry," he stated simply, pushing the kunai in Naruto's hand away. "I'm not ready to die yet." with that said, he disappeared, reappearing in front of Zabuza seconds before the Chidori impacted.

Blood spilled from his lips, his body shuddering before falling to the ground, dead. Zabuza then changed. The boy he had found on the streets, raised and taken care of, had never asked anything more than to stay by his side, had sacrificed himself. He lost a friend. A brother.

All because that damn _boy_ of a man, Gato, hired them to take out the bridge builder. Shaking the dogs off his paralyzed shoulders, Zabuza clamped a knife between his sharpened teeth, running straight for the man who had caused the turn of events.

Only when the knife was deeply embedded in the short mans chest would he allow himself to fall to his knees and die with dignity - beside his beloved Haku.

The snow began to fall. "Is that you, Haku?" he whispered lovingly, reaching over to stroke the now cold skin of his partner. "Are you crying?"

Sasuke awoke shortly after Zabuza's final breath slid past his lips. Sakura cried and hugged him - just as she had during their training excersize days before.

She had returned the favor, watching over him to ensure that he would be all right. Someone cared for the avenger.

When they departed, Inari and Tazuna waved goodbye, Tsunami and the others standing behind them in a group, the bridge finally finished. "What will we call it, Grandpa?" Tazuna didn't hesitate with his answer.

"The Great Naruto bridge."

Sakura awoke with a start - something downstairs broke. Sighing heavily, she realized her mother had probably dropped a dish on the floor while preparing her a bento box for the day. _Good ol' mom, _she thought with a smile.

She quickly headed downstairs only to find her mother had already taken off for work. Her parents didn't have the chakra control - her grandparents figured it skipped a generation every so often - that she had been graced with, thus, they didn't get the chance to serve their country the way that she got to.

Team seven had started only a few days ago, their first mission - which should have been a bust - went over so well that they got the chance to take on more serious mission, even at the genin level. It was very rare, but given that kind of respectability felt good.

Today, Sakura wandered to the typical meeting place, expecting to receive a series of missions. Fate had a different plan for her, entirely.

Naruto woke in his usual position - a competely different one than that he had fallen asleep in - his feet hanging off both edges of the bed, one hand by his head, the other resting on his stomach. He snorted slightly before finally forcing himself out of bed.

The house was a mess, but then again, so was the blonde boys life. Why should he clean? Nobody ever visited him anyhow. It just defeated the purpose - he liked it this way anyhow.

_I need to pack a lunch before heading out today_. He mentally reminded himself of not only that, but to check the milk before taking a drink - last time didn't turn out so well for him in the end. The memory still haunted him when he walked past a bathroom. The smell seemed to loom anywhere there was a toilet.

Though in an empty house...it didn't really matter, did it?

Slowly, he packed his lunch for the day, yawning as he did so. Seemed he never got enough sleep nowadays - he had never been a morning person. At times, he wondered if either of his parents were morning birds or not - it hurt him to think of such things, but sometimes his mind just...wandered.

He stared at cup of ramen sitting in front of him; it made him smile. _Ramen_: something that was not only tasty, but uplifting. For him at least. _Maybe Sakura likes ramen?_ His face automatically flushed with the thought of his crush accepting his invite to eat ramen with him - he snickered. That would be simply amazing.

The clock chimed, alerting the next hour had approached. He had to leave now, otherwise, he would be late.

Sasuke blinked a few times, the morning light hurting his eyes. His vision cleared, revealing the white ceiling - the one he woke up to every morning after passing out for the night; sometimes he trained too hard.

The house was quiet, as it had been for the past four years. Amazingly enough, he hadn't lost his mind...yet.

Stretching his sore muscles, he wandered to the kitchen to fix his lunch for the day. Kakashi would surely have some extravagent excersize for them to do together as practice. On top of his personal training routine before and after practices, things for him were tiring.

He grunted in pain as his knee locked up mid-stride. Yeah, kicking the tree last night wasn't _too_ great of a plan, but if it made him stronger, then the price was never too high. So long as he didn't draw too much blood, that is.

The cracked wall crumbled apart a little more as he passed by. He would have to fix it...eventually. Right now, he had better things to worry about - so what if his house collapsed in on itself? It wasn't like it served any purpose nowadays. There were plenty of other houses on the Uchiha estate for him to live in. He didn't care.

His only care was to kill _that man_.

Team seven stood on the bridge, awaiting the appearance of their sensei. He was late. _Again_.

"Figures..." Sakura muttered under her breath. Naruto had resorted to sitting on the bridge's floor, his feet dangling over the edge as he overlooked the koi fish swimming in the small pond beneath them. _How nice it must be to be a fish, no care in the world._ Similar thoughts had lingered in his mind before - both when he was bored and when he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

"Yo." Finally, the gray haired man in question appeared in one of the trees above them. Naruto and Sakura both pointed at him, yelling about how he was late, as they always did. He gave some excuse about a bird getting caught in his hair - and didn't finish it, just like always.

"So..." Naruto drawled, "What are we going to do today?" Kakashi only stared at him.

"What do you know about the Chunin exams?" he asked simply. Naruto tilted his head; of course, Sakura knew - she knew everything it seemed. As she explained, Naruto looked at her like she was the most interesting thing in the world. _Wow, Sakura-chan is _really_ smart._ "I signed you guys up this morning. The exams are in five days."

Five days? _No sweat_. Team seven was determined to excell.

"Hey Naruto!" Konohamaru, the hokage's grandson, called from one of the gates. "Come and play ninja with us!" Naruto smiled - sure his friends were at, what, half his age? But he had nothing better to do so he accepted the inviation.

The moment the affirmative left his lips, a ninja appeared behind Moegi, grabbing her and taking her hostage.

"Hey! What are you doing with Moegi, you big thug?!" The ninja was silent, allowing the girl to struggle against his grasp. He only laughed before running away with her, taking her deep into the forest.

Both ninja moved quickly thorugh the tree branches, not slowing their pace. The ninja was pleased - up until the blonde and orange blob called him a creep. That was rather pushing it.

When Naruto finally caught up, he had more words to spill from his brain down to his mouth. "Fat old guy" was one creative sentence to be spewed, more word vomit slipping before the mist ninja spoke up.

"What am I doing?" he snorted with laughter, "That's your question? Do you really want to know?" he laughed again, holding a freshly sharpened kunai to the poor girls throat. "If you move, the brats finished! The hokage's sealing scroll, bring it to me."

Naruto blew a raspberry, "and what if I say no?!" he snapped loudly.

"Then I guess you don't care what happens to this girl!"

"What girl?" Naruto said proudly, "All I see are two dummies. You and the one next to you." The ninja turned, gasping loudly. The substitution jutsu. Go figure, one of Naruto's favorite's.

Naruto and the trio took off before the ninja could follow. Moegi hugged her savior before telling her friends how scared she was.

Naruto was ready.

_Five days...and I will begin to work toward the next level of ninja-hood._ Sakura sat in a lookout bench in the center of town, pondering how to train over the next seven days to help prepare her for the exams.

"Hey." Arching a brow, she turned to look of her shoulder.

"Sasuke?" He smiled at her, she blushed. Why he was talking to her - and smiling, nonetheless - was beyond her, but while she had his attention... "What's up?"

"Let's take a walk." A dream come true, she was sure. And one she didn't want to wake up from. Inner Sakura cheered inside her head, pleased with today's outcome. One good thing after another!

They walked for what seemed miles before they finally arrived to the training grounds where they trained together as a team with their sensei. Mist covered the land mysteriously. Something was wrong - she caught it in an instant. Thankfully, her genjutsu had excelled past the beginner's level, borderlining expert for her age range.

"Sakura..." Sasuke muttered, walking further away from her, his back the only thing in her line of sight. Taking her usual stance - hands behind her back, hip cocked adorably, a smile gracing her lips - she replied with a questioning noise. "I want you to quit the Chunin exams." her features went from happy to shocked instantly. Before she could question his action, he turned to face her and spoke again. "...and you could lost your life..." he was cut off by dark laughter from behind him.

"You're telling me this because you care about me!" It wasn't a question, it was a statement. _Just keep playing along..._ She continued to whisper inwardly. Sasuke blushed.

"I guess...you could say that..."

"Well, isn't that touching?!" A mist ninja appeared in his normal assassin garb, poised in battle stance atop the center cedar log.

Sasuke and the ninja shared small conversation before the Uchiha finally snapped. "Don't make me angry!" He took off at a dead sprint for the ninja, kunai in hand. The ninja in pursuit jumped high into the air, tossing an umbrella at him. Sasuke's kunai flew, hitting it dead center, sending a spray of kunai knives down upon him.

When the dust cleared, Sasuke lay in the grass in a pool of his own blood. Kunai's were scattered around him, some embedded in his body, some in the ground, others lay useless nearby. Sakura trembled, holding her hand over her mouth as his name fell from her lips in a whisper various times.

She ran to him, falling over his body, crying. The ninja smirked - she wasn't ready.

"Which is what you wanted me to say." she muttered, standing, all tears dried. Her face held determination and confidence in not only herself but in her ability to see past the illusion. "This is all an illusion. You, yourself, aren't even here right now."

"We'll see just how _fake _I am!" the ninja jumped back a few feet, tossing another one of his kunai umbrella's at her. Confidence glinting in her eyes, she walked directly through the weapon, smiling as it phased through her like a ghost.

"See?" the ninja chuckled before disappearing. Haruno Sakura was definitely ready.

Sasuke wandered the forest, working his way back to the inner half of the village to head home for the night. He had finished his training - he practiced longer than usual to help prepare for the chunin exams, so it was getting pretty late. The sun had already began to set for the day.

A twig snapped a few feet away, signaling the someone was following him. And whoever it was, they were in for a rude awakening - no one tracked Uchiha Sasuke.

The mist ninja appeared, laughing evilly. He was met with a bold punch and several weapons being embedded in his skin. Sasuke continued to punch and kick the attacker, not caring to stop and ask questions. The ANBU could do that in the hospital if it really came down to it.

With one final kick to the face, the mist ninja was down. "Stay out of our village." The mist ninja only groaned in pain.

He should have known better; Uchiha Sasuke was _more_ than ready.

Hinata sat by the waters edge, admiring a certain yellow and orange koi fish from affair. "Oh...Naruto..." she sighed, a small blush plastering to her face. The Hyuuga was nervous about the exams being in a few days - she wasn't weak, but she wasn't strong either. How could she possibly stand a chance at surviving the Chunin Exams?

A strong hand patted her shoulder. Her senses told her it wasn't either of her teammates. She tensed. Someone had been watching her the entire time - she should have figured it out sooner; she probably would have...if it weren't for the oddly colored fish resembling the colors of her crush.

"How silly." she turned her head slightly, catching a glimpse of the ninja assassin behind her. "A puny girl like you wishing to take on the Chunin Exams!" he let out a bitter laugh as he pushed her aside. "You don't deserve the title of ninja!" She swallowed the sourness in the back of her throat, her heart rate quickening beyond her control.

Focusing, she took her battle stance. She was ready for whatever he had to offer on the battlefield - as a Hyuuga, she would not back down.

Kunai and senbon flew through the air, clanging together before falling to the ground, useless as some impaled the dirt floor. Hinata reathed heavily, struggling to keep an eye on the man in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hands, making the multiple handsigns to activate her Byakugan.

The ninja was quickly defeated, hitting the ground, unable to move. Hyuuga Hinata had proven herself worthy of moving on. Just like her teammates and squad ten had.

The moon shone freely in the clear sky. A perfect night for training, but Kakashi had other plans as he sat atop one of the various green rooftops of Konohagakure's houses. He didn't flinch when the mist assassin appeared behind him. "So, how did it go?" Iruka cut his transformation and took his true form.

"You were right." he mumbled hesitantly. "Everyone is ready for the exams; they have grown and have excelled phenomenally." He hated to admit it but he had to be honest. Kakashi was one of his friends - it didn't matter that he was one of the strictest sensei's in Konoha. "They're ready."

The hallways were crowded outside the doorway. A kid dressed in a green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers was knocked off his feet and into his teammates arms. The two ninja blocking the doorway smirked. "Hey! Let us through!" one of the genin snapped, causing their smirks to widen.

"If you can't even get through us, how do you expect to make it past teh chunin exams?" one of them laughed. The one boys teammate stood and made her way over to them only to be punched in the face. She stumbled back.

"That was harsh..." another genin muttered.

"HARSH?" the ninja laughed again. "You think that was harsh? The exam itself will be ten times worse than this!"

It was about then when team seven entered the hallway. Sasuke took a look around, asking the obvious question: "What's going on?" The girl in pink looked up from the floor.

"These goons won't let us in." Sasuke smirked.

"This isn't even the right floor. Sakura, I bet you noticed before all of us. Your genjutsu is the best of all of ours on the team." The girl in question was quite shocked from his praise, but quickly brushed it off and smiled confidently.

"Of course I noticed. I mean, this is the second floor after all." with that being said, all the other genin looked around, babbling in confusion. The genjutsu shattered, revealing the room to be 201 instead of 301, just as she had said. The ninja gaurding the door smirked. Team seven was as good as they heard.

Perhaps even better.


	3. Strength, Serparation and Promises

They were sectioned off into groups of three, teammates separated from one another. It was like being in the academy all over again. Ibiki Morino stood at the front of the room, his face emotionless. In his hands were a large stack of papers. He sighed inwardly - he was a commanding officer, yet here he was babysitting these brats for a pety exams; how degrading...

"All right, maggots. Settle down!" he snapped, folding his arms across his chest. Everyone instantly looked up, their full attention on the scar-faced man at the front of the room. And boy was he scary looking. Sakura's stomach lurched at one look of him. "The first portion of the exam will be a test." The genin all began muttering under their breath, others asked aloud about the format of said test. Ibiki smirked, holding up the handful of papers. "A _written_ test."

Naruto paled - a written test? There was no way he was going to pass now. Aside from being unable to produce a clone that wasn't up to par with the rest of the class, his written exam scores were asolutely terrible. Worst in the class, to quote Iruka-sensei.

"You can cheat, but you can't get caught. If you do, you will automatically fail." With that said, Ibiki alerted the multiple ninja around to pass out copies of the test.

Time passed by slowly, multiple ninja being caught cheating and kicked out, others passing out from the stress of the questions that were written to be confusing. Sakura and Sasuke - the two top genin of their class - were even struggling with some of the questions.

Naruto wanted to scream until his lungs gave out. This was bad.

"All right, listen up!" Ibiki snapped. "Here's the tenth and final question." Naruto swallowed the sourness in the back of his throat.

_This is it...everything is riding on this question. _He hoped tthat it would be one of those easy questions that had the answer within the question - he was good at those. Just then, the door opened, revealing Kankuro - the painted face from the sand village - and the ninja that had escorted him from the bathroom. Ibiki stared at him icily, reflecting next to no emotion.

"Just in time...I hope you found your trip to the bathroom _enlightening_." Kankuro about shit his pants - he _knew_ about the cheat sheet, had seen through the disguise. "Now onto the rules - they're specific to the final question. Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you." Everyone sat forward in their seats a little, anticipating whatever was coming next. "Rule one: you can choose not to answer the final question. It's your choice. If you choose not to - you'll get a zero. Thus, you fail - so does your team."

Everyone babbled incoherently.

"That's not all... If you do accept and get the question wrong, not only will you fail, but you'll be barred from taking the chunin exam _ever again_!" Kiba slammed his hands on the desk and stood, Akamaru popping up out of his shirt.

"Hey! That's bull shit! There are hundreds of people here who have taken the test before!" Ibiki snorted.

"I wasn't making the rules before." A few of the genin gasped. "But I am now!" his subtle laughter turned into an outright outburst.

"Now, for the final question. Those who wish to deny the question, raise your hand." Some genin obliged. "Your number will be recorded. Then you will be free to leave."

Silence hung through the air, thick and heavy. Multiple genin left, unable to force themselves to participate any further. Sakura looked to her blonde teammate solemnly, waiting for him to raise his hand, to give up. He didn't.

Finally, he raised his hand before slamming it on the table. "I don't walk - I run! Do what you want, do your worst, I won't hide! Because I'm going to become hokage someday!" Sasuke and Sakura inwardly praised their partner. Ibiki offered a way out. "No way will I ever go back on my word - that's the way of the ninja." Everyone smiled - Hinata especially.

This was why she admired him.

Ibiki had to hand it to the little blonde runt. "I admire your determination. Now it's time for me to tell you..." he paused, purely for dramatic affect. "You've all passed the first part of the exam." Some banter was shared between the genin and the ANBU at the head of the room; after being accused of giving them a bluff as a test he quickly explained himself. "The test was meant to test your ability to gather strategic information even under the most difficult of circumstances, to test you not only individually but as a team, to see how you function as a _part _of that team. The test was hard - covering information that a genin couldn't possibly be expected to know let alone understand. The test was designed to encourage cheating. It almost demanded it.

"The tenth question gave you two choices; both difficult. Chose to skip and save your teammates life - metaphorically - or try to answer it with the possibility that your teammates would die...metaphorically." Ibiki continued his explanation. "There's nothing left, but to wish you all good luck."

His thoughts were interrupted by a ninja - Anko - bursting through the window with her banner. "Anko Mitarashi! Ready for the second test?!" she was met with silence. "All right! Let's go!"

"You early...again..." she faltered slightly. She shot back a quip about Ibiki going easy on them.

It wasn't until sundown when Ibiki wandered the room, collecting the tests. The first to catch his eye was under the name of Haruno Sakura. Nearly every answer was filled in - and more than five were correct. Out of nine questions, she would have been one of the top ranking tests. Her test scores were up there with his few chunin that had been stationed around the room - and she didn't cheat.

The other was Hyuuga Hinata's. A bright little thing, she was. All her answers were filled in, more than half of them being correct.

She and Sakura were bright for their age - he could only hope that they would make it through all four stages of the exam. Konoha needed intelligent people on their ANBU squad and in the ranks. Too many walls of meat, not enough brain.

Then there was Naruto's. "I passed a student who didn't answer a _single_ question...he's a funny one, that kid."

"Forest...of...Death...?" they all stared at the gate that was rusted and coated in all sorts of blood. There was no telling whether it was animal or human, but everyone's stomach said they didn't want to find out.

The grass ninja in the far back gave everyone the creeps, especially when the long haired ninja slid up behind Anko to return her kunai...with his incredibly long tongue. "My apologies," he hissed softly, "I was just returning your knife."

Shortly after, Anko explained the mission for the forest of death - giving them visuals of the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll - and allowed each team to pick one of the multiple gates for entry at noon.

The buzzer sounded, and they were off. Hinata, Kiba and Shino were the first to find an enemy and make them scream - Hinata found them with her eyes, Kiba with his nose, and Shino...with leaches. The grass ninja from before made their way toward "the brats," aka, Team Seven.

"Hey! What was that for?" Naruto snapped, jumping back from Sasuke's attack. He lowered his gaze, looking the blonde teammate over a few more times, just to make sure he wasn't wrong. "Watch out Sakura, Sasuke has gone crazy!"

"Shut it!" the ninja in question snapped. "Where's the _real_ Naruto?" When the answer was left unattended, Sasuke pointed out the flaws in his transformation skills. "Naruto's not left handed, his pouch was on the other leg and you're missing the cut on his cheek."

The ninja undid his transformation, revealing a water nin. "Hand over your scrolls!"

The snake exploded. Naruto was quite proud of himself - though the exploding reptile wasn't _exactly_ part of the plan. It just sort of...happened. He had to find Sasuke and Sakura before they got hurt. Because in his mind, they actually needed him.

Sasuke and Sakura stared at the grass ninja from before. The long tongue gave it all away - this one person in particular was a freak of nature, and they meant business...

He was leaving. No one knew but her, and perhaps their Sensei. It didn't matter _who_ knew, she had to stop him. He could reject her all he wanted, but she would find a way to keep him her. And if worse came to worse, she would go with him as a companion. In the beginning of their friendship, she had been immobilized by him; now that she had been his teammate for almost a year, she understood who and what he was, knew most of his secrets. She knew _him _now. She loved him, rather than the idea of him.

Sasuke had had enough of the town, she knew that. But there was the matter of his curse mark from the early stages of the Chunin exams. Kakashi was one of the few people who knew about it. Sakura had witnessed it's affects first hand. She held him as it formed and took over his senses, the pain causing him to fall under into comatose. She protected him when the Sound ninja attacked them. She cut her hair, sacrificed her body and her hearing to protect him. She had saved him from falling off the bridge when it collapsed, cried over him, had done everything in her power to show him what he meant to her. It had to be enough to keep him here with her.

Sakura intercepted him by the bench where she had met Naruto's transformation next to their Ninja Academy.

It wasn't too late...

She could do this...

"Sasuke..." she murmured, the breeze catching her hair. He gave her that blank stare that he always shot at her. "So...you're really leaving...huh?" A short nod was all he'd give her as he strode by as if the choice he was making would affect no one. _I won't cry. Not now._ It was easier said than done – she was already holding tears back, memories flooding her head, searching for something to use to project the need for him to stay in Konohagakure.

"Hn." It was his typical response to everything. He kept walking, not even bothering to stop when he neared her. She stood there a moment, letting his coldness wash over her like rain, the wind blowing through her hair shortly before the first tear fell. She whiped it away and willed herself to suck it up. She had to stay strong.

"I don't understand..." she whispered to herself before turning around. "If you stay here, you can get stronger!" he continued walking without even a glance behind him. "Please! Don't leave me! If you go, I... I'll scream!" Finally, he stopped. "Or take me with you! Just please...don't leave me alone." the tears fell freely now, glistening in the moonlight. "I love you! I just love you so much!" The breeze was picking up again as he turned his onyx eyes in her direction.

"Sakura..." he was smiling at her. In the blink of an eye, he was behind her; the heat coming off his body was radiating into her back. "Thank you..."

The world around her swirled and shook, her knees buckling. With her last breath, she whispered his name, falling into his arms. Sasuke picked her up bridal style, her head resting against his chest. They stood there like that for awhile, her unconscious in his arms, the breeze blowing her hair from cute little face. She was light, he noticed. _This is where I repay the favor_, he thought, remembering when she had held him that night in the forest of death.

He sat her gently on the stone bench before turning and walking toward the village gates, never to return.

She awoke a few hours later that night, the tears still burning her eyes. He was gone. She couldn't stop him... _That was it_, she decided. If he was going to run off and get stronger, so was she. "Sakura?" she turned around, catching a glimpse of the spikey blond friend. He was bound to appear sooner or later, considering Kakashi had called her out on attempting to stop Sasuke from leaving.

A fresh batch of tears welled up, stinging her eyes further. "Oh Naruto..." she gasped, her face heating up. Naruto felt his heart break for her. Sakura didn't deserve the bastards coldness, not after everything she had done for him throughout their time as teamates.

Naruto pulled her close, letting her cry on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan." he whispered into her hair, stroking her back softly. "I'll bring him back... You'll see." Even if it meant breaking both his legs and dragging him back helplessly.

"Sasuke!" the name echoed throughout the cavern, the power behind it making the water ripple with vibrations. A flock of birds in the distance fluttered off in shock. They faced each other now; two rivals in the final battle. "I won't let you leave. Believe it!" Sasuke's face twisted into his usual smirk.

"Bring it on."

They leapt for each others throats, punches and kicks flying in all directions, attempting to land a hit, to make the other hurt. Each smack, every scratch was fatal. They broke skin and bones, battering each other into rock walls that surrounded the cavern, beating one another into the water. "Shadow clone jutsu!"

"Katon! Fireball jutsu!"

Each used their favorite jutsu's, attempting to knock one another away. More bones shattered, bruises and cuts lining more skin than they ever had before. Naruto was landing more hits than Sasuke would have preffered.

A burning sensation tingled behind his eyelids. Suddenly, everything around him slowed dramatically. _I..._ He caught the fist that was heading for his face and pushed it away before blocking a flurry of kicks. _I can see! _Another punch caught, another kick dodged, a few punches landed, beating Naruto down. _**I can see everything!**_ The smirk returned to his lips; he had the advantage now.

Or so he thought...

They knocked one another into the hands of the statues surrounding the area. Red and black chakra swirling through the air visibly like angry swarms of creatures from the deepest and darkest corners of the world. It would be the final blow, the showdown to determine whether Sasuke would stay or if Naruto would keep him here – and keep his promise to Sakura.

"Rasengan!"

"Chidori!"

They both leapt.

_Only one can prevail..._

_ One of us will walk away the winner..._

_ Sakura-chan..._

Their hands met; the explosion ensured, tossing one another in opposite directions.

_I'm sorry..._

Naruto slammed into the rock floor, whatever water that resided there bolting away with the impact. Sasuke hovered over his unconscious body. He had to give Naruto credit – he put up a great fight for a dumbass child. But it wasn't enough to keep him here; he had a taste of his dark power, now he craved more.

Naruto limped back to Konaha's gates empty handed. Sakura had been expecting this – her puffy and red-rimmed eyes were proof of this. He had lost, was brutally beaten down – it was a shock he had gained consciousness this early – but in his hand he held the headband of their lost teammate.

"Don't worry," he choked out, "I'll bring him back."

**Author's note: Right, so someone suggested that I put the 5 chapters together and I figured it was a good idea. It seems less cluttered in my documents folder, and it will make life so much easier when I go to write the newer sections.**

**Anyhow, college life has been interesting. My 3 roommates have _definitely _made everything twice as interesting as it should be. They gave me a condom for my birthday and drew me a dragon and little stick figures labled "ANIME" because they like that I draw anime randomly when I get bored. It's been an interesting 18th birthday.**

**Oh: I've been meaning to tell you guys! I'm going to start Tweeting about writing updates, so if anyone wants to get quicker updates from me personally (instead of dealing with those pesky emails), hit me up on Twitter MadlyOverrated – just a warning, I tweet random shit too, but I don't tweet obnoxiously like some people do. I try to update my Tumblr as often as I'm online ( .com if you want it). Some nights I just rant, other nights I discuss books or post art/photos. I'll probably talk about stories and stuff when I get around to it, but yeah. Come socialize with me! :D**

**Happy Reading!**


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